✔The Joker's Insanity

VIGINTI DUO

Midnight.

"WELCOME TO THE SECOND ROUND OF THE ELITE KILLING TOURNAMENT!"

Dumagundong ang hiyawan ng audience sa sigaw ng referee. Nang pumasok sina Marquessa sa malawak na arena, agad siyang nakaramdam ng kaba nang mapagmasdang maigi ang mga manonood.

Rich people with masks watched them like a lion would to its prey. 'Iba pala talaga ang pakiramdam kapag nandito ka na.' Napalunok siya't tahimik na sinundan ang iba pang killers. She made sure to keep her distance. Mapanganib ang mga nilalang na ito. Isang maling galaw lang niya't baka mapatay na siya bago pa man magsimula ang second round.

"JOKER! JOKER! JOKER!"

'Mukhang marami talagang fans si Evarius.' she thought and waved to his fans. Ngayong gabi, kailangan niyang angkinin ang katauhan ng baliw na 'yon.

'Famous weirdo.'

Tumalim ang tingin sa kanya ng ibang killers. Ngumisi sa direksyon niya ang Puppet Man. He looked like a decent man---aside from the fact that he has walking puppets as escorts.

'Kung gaano karami ang nagmamahal kay Joker, mukhang ganoon din karami ang mga gustong pumatay sa kanya. Tsk! How lucky.'

She scanned the crowd again, trying find him. Ang sabi niya manonood daw siya ng laban ni Marquessa. Pero sa dami ng mga binatang nakasuot ng eleganteng mga maskara at mamahaling mga tuxedo, nahihirapan siyang tukuyin kung sino sa kanila ang Joker. Evarius Neverwood seemed to "blend in" pretty well.

Nang marating na nila ang sentro ng arena, natahimik ang lahat. The giant LCD screens flashed to life with the words in big bold white letters against a black background:

ELITE KILLING TOURNAMENT
ROUND 2

"Among the 12 qualified killers, now only the top 6 remains: Jack the Ripper, Slender Man, Puppet Man, Poison Ivy, Black Sheep, and The Joker!"

The audience cheered on. May ilang naghagis pa ng pera at mga alahas sa arena. Marquessa was disgusted by this. 'Akala ba ng mga elitistang 'to na mabibili nila ang lahat?' They're all showing off their money and jewelry as if they had power given to them by gods.

"Ngayong gabi, sisimulan na natin ang ikalawang round ng ating tournament. And let's start off with..."

Natahimik ang lahat. Namuo ang tensyon sa arena nang humakbang papalayo ang ibang killers---leaving only Marquessa and Black Sheep.  Right now, she was thankful that she could hide her facial expression behind Joker's mask.

"THE JOKER VS BLACK SHEEP!"

Huminga nang malalim si Marquessa. Sa isang kisapmata, nagbago ang buong arena na para bang isang virtual reality game. They were standing on black and white tiles, patterned like a chessboard. Kapansin-pansin rin ang malalaking butas na nasa pader. Pipes and wires surrounded the ceiling, making it look like they were trapped in a cage.

Nang masilip ni Marquessa ang rules sa malalaking screen, kumunot ang kanyang noo.

RULES:
1. Kill.
2. Don't step on the white tiles.

"Break the rules and we'll break your bones! LET THE KILLING BEGIN!" Umalingangaw sa kawalan ang boses ng referee.

'Don't step on the white tiles?' Mabilis na binalingan ni Marquessa ang kinatatayuan niya. She was standing on a black tile. Still, curiosity was nagging at her. 'Ano kayang mangyayari kapag tumapak kami sa white tiles?'